PSX Extreme

Site Stats

Diablo III PC Set For May 15...But Where Is The Console Version?

It's obviously a PC-oriented franchise and the third iteration was clearly designed first and foremost for PC, so it's probably best played on PC.

That much we know. But after a ton of evidence pointing toward a console version of Diablo III, the announcement of a new release date for the long-awaited title doesn't mention any console installment.

It may be coming at some point down the road, but here's the question- should they even bother? If it's best on PC and the vast majority of those interested would play it on the PC, is it even worth releasing the game for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360? Sometimes, exclusivity makes sense and this could be one of those times. Also, let's not forget that the last time a new Diablo title hit store shelves was in 2001, and that was only an expansion for Diablo II, which launched the year before. This leads me to another question (forgive the tangent):

Why does it take so long for games in PC-based franchises to arrive? Why? I don't understand. Eleven and a half years? What for? Duke Nukem Forever took what, thirteen? And it sucked. Now we're hearing rumors of a new Baldurs Gate. We are talking about franchises that aren't a couple years old, they're not a generation old, they're two generations old. And in all that time, not one new entry. I just can't figure out why a game like Diablo III requires a decade of development. Maybe someone can educate me because it boggles the mind.

The only 3 games I've played on the PS3 that come remotely close to Diablo were Sacred 2, Two Worlds II, and Borderlands. Two World II and Borderlands only because of the looting system and nothing else. Sacred 2 really reminded me of Diablo even though it isn't really a dungeon crawler.

I loved Darkstone and Diablo on the PS1 and would love to play a game like that again, sure their repetetive but I like them. Mind you I never played a Baulders Gate game so I can't/won't comment on those.

And please if anyone knows of a Diablo style game on the PS3 that I haven't played please mention it. I would love to get it!

I have the utmost respect for Blizzard and the quality of labor they place into making legendary games that are played a decade and counting beyond their intial release. They saw what the MMORPG was doing and re-invented it with WoW. They saw what the RTS was doing, and re-invented it with Starcraft/Warcraft. As an action-RPG I've never been huge for dungeon crawl games, like Diablo, but those I know who love great games like Diablo, have played Diablo 2 no less than several times. I say, Blizzard can take all of the time they want, because most everything they've touched, PC side, has been immortalized by their community.

Man, now I just got to go load up WC3 and have a round =pLast edited by Temjin001 on 3/15/2012 12:40:45 PM

I really feel this series is over hyped.I'll be happy if it makes it to consoles and I'll be content if it doesn't.I think it would be smart of them to bring it to PS3 at least since then it's safer from the pirates out there while the PC and 360 versions are open game.

Blizzard has confirmed that Diablo III will be release on May 15 in most major markets, with a Latin America and Russia launch coming June 7.

The game will also be offered for "FREE" to World of Warcraft annual pass subscribers.

There will also be a Collector's Edition that will be $99.99 that will include..... a behind-the-scenes Blu-ray/DVD two-disc set, the Diablo III soundtrack CD, a 208-page Art of Diablo III book, and a 4 GB USB soulstone(with full versions of Diablo II and Diablo II: Lord of Destruction) and Diablo skull base).

And also included, is exclusive in-game content for Diablo III, World of Warcraft, and StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty.

The gameplay is more or less the same tried and true gameplay from the past games. Which anybody that played Champions of Norrath and newer Baldur's Gate games should be used to. But now there are new classes with new skills of course, new skills for returning classes, the rune system has been totally revamped that unlocks as you level up (runes and upgrades) meaning you no longer pick them up, a crafting system has been introduced, destructible environments, almost instantaneous loading when loading zones and interior structures, an auction house has been added to sell items to other players for in game money and/or real money if you choose, many new weapons and armor, new monsters, people can drop in and out of your game if you allow them or you can set your game to private so you can play solo, etc. Just to name a few ;)

Personally, after seeing so many games inspired by Diablo (Downright clones really), I am a bit burned out on the basic formula..

Borderlands shared a similar formula and that was the first time I became infatuated with one of these games where your sole motivation is gaining more loot.

I'll take Borderlands 2 over diablo 3 anyday. At least it brings the genre into a more immersive first person view rather than the played out, old school, top down isometric view that. Hell, farmville on facebook uses that camera angle. My 55 year old mother plays farmville.

haha!

I'm being honest but kinda trolling in a fun way...don't take me seriouslyLast edited by Palpatations911 on 3/15/2012 7:57:03 PM

I believe they didn't start this back in 2001. It's probably been 6 years, just guessing. I was a rabid PC gamer but then discovered the PS3 and haven't played a game on the PC in years. Well, I did play L4D and Magicka. Anyway, I am going to hold out for the PS3 version. I truly hope this game destroys Diablo II LoD!! That would be a truly epic achievement.

I take issue with the "it's best on a PC" comment. For anything other than strategy games, I really dislike mouse/kb controls (playing an FPS on a PC feels like a point-and-click adventure on speed, and plays like no real-life firefight I've ever seen), so for people like me a properly supported gamepad option (which is guaranteed on console - many PC games with 'gamepad' support are only paying lip service to the idea, and do a rubbish job) is a good thing.

And then there's the issue of tech requirements. For the 6 million or less PC gamers with rigs that can run games at their full settings, then clearly it'll be prettier (even if it controls like a spreadsheet), but for the rest of us, a console is the best gaming option we have in terms of performance as well.

Hell, I have a PC that is more capable than a PS3, and I'll still wait until Diablo III is out on console, or won't bother about it at all (and my favourite times with the original Diablo were two-player on the PSOne, not on PC - and I had a PC more capable than a PSOne back then as well).

I don't play PC games but the hubby does and from what i understand blizzard placed Diablo 3 on the back burner for a bit to push out more WOW expansions. Now for this Baulders Gate game i reallly hope its a console game i have the first two from PS2 days and just love it.

The new Baldur's Gate games are the original Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate 2 PC games being updated and remade to current technology. No platforms have been announced but those games are nothing like the console versions as those were hack n' slash, as the original PC games were full blown RPG's.

Warcraft3, Starcraft2, WoW. Easily 3 of the most successful PC games ever released.

Half life is another franchise with a big dev cycle, HL2 took years to come out after the first game, and it has been years since HL2.

Look at CoD for example, yearly releases, and everyone knows that the series is going to decline sooner or later, and the series never takes any huge strides that continue to redefine the genre.

All the PC games i have mentioned, all completely redefined their genres when they were released.

I guess my point is that the level of quality in big name PC games, that have huge dev cycles, tend to me a LOT more then the games that don't. I am NEVER dissapointed when I go and buy a game like half life, starcraft or diablo, I know that no matter what I am going to be very satisfied.

I rarely feel that way about a console game. KZ3, AC:B & R, FFXIII. All games I was dissapointed with.

It isn't limited to console games. Many many PC games suffer the fate of declined quality or value, the FEAR franchise for example. It was tipped to become the next DOOM, however, FEAR2 and 3 were both dissapointments.Last edited by Akuma_ on 3/15/2012 5:14:43 PM

I thought the original FEAR took far too long to get to the paranormal stuff. It was a shame the last couple hours couldn't have been more of the whole experience.

Anyway, lets not forget the game play between PC games and console games are essentially bridged these days. Thank you Xbox =pWith the exception of Blizzard, most everything exciting that happens anymore on PC happens on console. Near every industry leading game title today has itself rooted as a PC experience that has migrated over to the console platform.

Look at them:The Elder ScrollsBioware-style RPGCrysisDeus ExPortalHalf-LifeRageBioshock Call of DutyBattlefieldeven Bungie had Halo planned for Mac/PC until late in it's development

These games tear it up in the charts critically or in sales. With every single dev responsible for the game's listed having gained their nortority first for many years in PC's domain.That's all well and fine but the sad part of this gen is with the east.It truly is sad to see how the Japanese have sucked so terribly this gen. On PS2 they seemed to me as an unmoveable giant. These days the west have essentially dominated every genre with little looking to change anytime soon. Back then, gaming on PC and console meant two very different experiences, each owning their own strengths. Anyway, I carried on for a bit there. I think my Max rendering is done now =p

There's more I'm sure. But back then hotter PC games liek Half Life and Deus Ex essentially sucked on consoles. But really, what people thought about back then and played exclusivy on consoles was a lot different than what was hot and exciting on PC. It's just a big melting pot these days, save Sony and their awesome exclusives =)hmmm. rendering still not done... SNACK TIME!

Hey World off topic whose the new avatar I kinda recognise her not sure where from and who where the 2 almost kissing ones lol :) ?

Oh yeah Diablo how longs this been mentioned DNF was almost Vaporware, no one believed it was coming, when it did it was meh at best. Will wiat for reviews on Diablo 3.Last edited by tlpn99 on 3/15/2012 6:05:02 PM

Console games typically are big budget with large development teams working on them and they only have essentially 2 flavors to code and test for. 360 & PS3 with some console firmware version tests.

Big budget PC games will have large studios as well, typically have many different configurations to code and test. Think of all the operating systems you have to support with all the different service packs, AMD and Nvidia graphics cards, SLI support, game controllers, etc. Without a hardware standard, testing games are a pain in the arse.

I suppose Diablo III wanted to push a new game engine, thus 2-3 years to get that engine built then another 2-3 years to get the actual game off the ground.

This is not to say that PC games just take longer to develop for, as the size of the team along with intended hardware support will always dictate the development time.

NP. Whether they are better or not is up to the player and what type of game do they like. I much prefer the originals over the Dark Alliance series. But I also prefer RPG's over any other genre of gaming, so that's just me. They also followed the rules of D&D (albeit 2nd edition rules at the time) much more closely then the later games ever did. Dark Alliance is all action. The original two Baldur's Gate games, followed by the two Icewind Dale games, were pure RPG magic. And can still be found being played online today now that the internet is more compatible with gaming then it was then.

Now that I have a decent pc, for now, I've only been using the ps3 for the games I already own and a few exclusives. So I much prefer pc availability over consoles. Although it's nice when everyone can play, it's most annoying in a case like Dark Souls where 100K people want a port but are unlikely to get one because of Namco.

As for Diablo itself, I loved the originals, but the new art style and overhyping has rendered me less than eager. I'll prolly play it eventually.

Hm, hard to say if I'd want a console version. On one hand, my TV is naturally much better for gaming and I've always felt more comfortable with a controller than a mouse and keyboard. On the other, nostalgia makes me want to go back to sitting on a small chair with my head glued to the monitor making everyone around me worry for my already poor sight. Choices...